Charles Barkley Was Cut By Legendary Coach Bobby Knight

Published on August 19th, 2024 9:10 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


The 1984 US Men's Olympic basketball team was absolutely stuffed with legends, including the likes of Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin, to name a few.

One future legend, Charles Barkley, tried to make the team but was eventually cut by head coach Bobby Knight.

Barkley was invited to camp by Bobby Knight, who had been impressed by Barkley during his days at Auburn. Remember - the Olympics were still amateur-only in 1984, and Barkley hadn't yet established himself as a dominant player in the NBA.

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Barkley made it all the way through to the final round of cuts before Bobby Knight gave him the bad news - he hadn't made the team.

Reasons were never given as to why Barkley was cut from the team, though the rumor is that he was cut due to his poor defense and questionable condition.

Barkley, for his part, took everything in stride, instead choosing to focus on the NBA Draft, where he was taken 5th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers.

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Charles Barkley would never give up on his Olympic dream - he would compete at the 1992 Olympics as part of the "Dream Team", where he would win a gold medal.

Barkley would also compete at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, where he repeated with another gold medal.

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In the end, everything worked out for both sides - Barkley ended up winning two gold medals over the course of his career, while the Men's team would win gold in 1984.